A Dinner Date with Raviga
by SmilingWithYou
Summary: This is a story that takes place after the season 2 finale of Silicon Valley, so there are spoilers. I'm planning to continue this fic, and I hope you like it! (This is my third Silicon Valley story, please feel free to comment and give me feedback!)
1. Chapter 1

It was about a week since Richard had recieved the news that he wasn't the CEO of Pied Piper anymore, and Monica had come over to invite the Pied Piper team to an official dinner by the request of Laura, who wanted a sit-down with the members. Assuming this was to see who was essential on the team and who wasn't, now that Richard wasn't CEO anymore, Raviga would probably bring their own people on in order to benefit the company in the way they deem fit. Moninca then asked to speak to Richard alone, and they both went into the backyard.

"I didn't want to announce it in there but technically, Richard, you're not actually invited. She wants people who are...officially apart of the team. I'm so sorry, I know this really, really sucks."

Despite Monicas genuine concern, Richard wasn't willing to forgive and forget yet.

"Yeah, Monica, I'd say it really does suck. It's fucking embarrasing to be fired from my own company, and I am just..."

He stops talking and rubs his eyes, sighing.

"I am just done. This company has drained me emotionally, physically, and I just, I can't do it anymore. I need time alone, even just 5, minutes, of time to myself. Without Pied Piper."

Monica nodded, she understood the effort that he went through for a company that never showed it's appreciation, and although she didn't want to contribute any more than she had to his pain, she had to ask one more question.

"I know this probably seems like the worst idea right now, and I agree it's going to seem like adding insult to injury, but you should come to the dinner. You're not technically invited, but each member has the option to bring a "date" and assuming not all of them will have one, I think you should go."

Richard opened his mouth slightly in shock and started to laugh, half out of nerves and half out of anger.

"You're kidding me, right? I mean, you, you have to be fucking, kidding me!"

He began to pace back and fourth near the pool, while Monica followed him.

"Just, promise me you'll think about it, okay? Even though Raviga completely screwed you over with this, it's still your company. Well not really, but the future of it still matters. You're the one that makes all of this happen, and you don't want to see it thrown away. I think it's a good idea to see what they have planned."

Richard can remember another time she said things like this when she was urging him to choose Peter Gregory over Gavin Belsons deal, but she still made a fair point. Richard stopped pacing and stood with his hands intertwined behind his head. He sighed and said,

"I'll think about it."

His voice lowered, he turned to Monica and said

"I think you should leave. Please. Now."

She gave him a sympathetic look and said,

"Bye, Richard."

She then made her way to her car out front. Richard covered his eyes, felt a wave of nausea, and threw up on the lawn. His anxiety from the converstation caught up with him, and he was partly relieved that he hadn't done it in front of Monica. He decided to sit on one of the lawn chairs and stare at the sky, thinking over his options. It must have been about 10 minutes when he saw Jared leave the house and start walking over to the pool.

"Richard, are you alright?"


	2. Chapter 2

Jared looked and saw Richard, who was laying on a lawn chair with his hands finger-tip to finger-tip on his stomach. He looked over to Jared, not moving his neck, then closed his eyes.

"Oh it's okay I'm fine... I was just "unofficially invited" to a dinner with the people who fired me from my own company."

His voice choked up at the end, and he began to fear that he was going to start crying in front of Jared. He walked closer to Richard, and sat on the edge of the lawnchair next to him. He put his elbows on his knees then said,

"I assume you're reffering to the dinner with Laura and other new members of the board at Raviga, how were you unoffically invited?"

"Monica talked to me after she talked to you guys, and she said it's a good idea if I went to the dinner too. To see what they'll do with the company or something. I'm still, still thinking about it."

Jared nodded slightly, and looked to the pool. They were both quiet for a moment, when he said,

"You know, she might be right. It's not fair to you but the team needs you to over see things, after all you are the one who created Pied Piper."

He paused for a moment then continued with,

"I'm sorry how are you supposed to attend the dinner if you weren't invited?"

"Monica said that you're all allowed to bring dates to the dinner, which doesn't even make any sense, and she thought one of you could bring me instead."

Richard sat up, and turned to face Jared. His head was slightly drooping onto his right shoulder, and he started to tear up. Jared then put his hand on Richards back, near his shoulder blades to provide some comfort.

"Oh shit, fuck, I'm sorry. I, I'm just really overwhelmed by this. All of it is just, it never seems worth it. This whole law suit probably trippled what my stress was, and now I don't even get to, I can't, theres nothing for me."

Richard rubbed at his eyes and Jared took his hand off Richards back.

"You know, Richard, you could always attend the dinner with me if you would like. I have no problem giving you my plus one space. I may be wrong, but even through all of the many, many hardships we've been faced with, I think you still care about the company. I'd hate to see all of your work be ruined."

Richard looked at Jared and saw the sincerity in his eyes, and how sad he looked. He knew that Jared meant well, and how smart he was too. Jared probably knew that Raviga was going to hire their own people to benefit them and simultaneously screw over the original members of Pied Piper.

"Of course if you choose not to go, I'd be more than willing to tell you everything they tell us, give you the play by play, so to speak. Whatever you need, I will do it."

He was always loyal to Pied Piper and Richard heard a slight desperation in his voice. It was almost as if he was as upset that Richard was fired as Richard was himself.

"Thank you, Jared. I think, I mean I'll think about it. But thank you."

Standing up, Richard offered a hand to Jared who took it and stood up with him. They stood there for a minute, lost in their own thoughts. The silence was broken by Jared, who looked at Richard with a slightly quizzical expression and said,

"Actually Richard, I can't believe I almost forgot about this, would you mind terribly if I stayed in your room for the night? It has come to my attention that Noah is selling his house to pursue a less "hostile" environment for him and his feret, and I'm no longer allowed to stay on his property."

"Uh, yeah, sure, that's fine. Do you need help, like, moving stuff or anything?"

"That won't be neccesary, thank you again Richard. I'll see you inside when you're ready."

Jared gave Richard a quick smile and left to go inside the house, leaving Richard starring into the pool, still trying to make a decision. The dinner wasn't for another week or so, so he had time to think it all over. Right now, all Richard really wanted to do was go to sleep and try to forget about everything.


	3. Chapter 3

Going back inside the house, Richard saw Erlich, Gilfoyle, and Dinesh all talking quietly in a group amongst themselves. When they saw him come in, Erlich started shushing them. Dinesh ignored him and said,

"I just don't see why we have to go to a dinner in the first place if Raviga is just going to fuck us over by replacing us to save money!"

"While that is true, some of us are irreplacable because we have skills that are actually beneficial to the team."

Gilfoyle said in a usual monotone manner.

"Would you all just shut the fuck up? I mean we're trying to be curteous to Richard for christsakes!"

When Erlich yelled at them, Dinesh and Gilfoyle both shut up, or at least stopped talking about it so loudly. Richard walked past them all into his room and locked the door. Feeling overwhelmed, he went to get his laptop and listen to music before he slept in order to calm himself down. Walking over to pick it up, he accidentally tripped over Jared, who was setting up his sleeping area on the floor.

"Oh shit, Jared? I, uh forgot you were in here, sorry about that."

"It's fine, I often blend into my surroundings. It's both a curse and a blessing I suppose."

It was quiet for a couple seconds, Jared was straightening out his sleeping bag.

"Well, I was just gonna get my, uh my laptop."

Jared reached over to Richards desk and handed him the laptop.

"Did you want headphones too?"

He asked, Richard nodded. Handing him the headphones, Richard thanked him, and went to his bed. He wasn't really bothered by Jared being in the room with him, it was actually kind of nice having someone with him. It felt comforting. Before turning on his music, Richard looked over at Jared, who was using a small light to read.

"Hey, Jared? Do you mind if I uh, ask you something? Or just like, talk to you?"

Jared looked from his book and saw Richard lying on his side with his hand on his jaw to support his head.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Do you think, well, I mean, should I go to the dinner? If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

Jared was quiet for a moment, quietly tapping the front of his book in thought.

"I would go. Even after all of the trouble they put you through, I wouldn't want to see my company or the people in it be hurt if I could help it."

Richard slightly nodded, then sighed.

"Sometimes I wish I never came here, I mean what would my life be like if I just, just stayed in Tulsa. Never quit college."

Jared felt sympathy for Richard, as he often thought about decisions he made too and whether they were the right choice, espeically after Richard was removed as CEO.

"You know, Richard, I often think about what would have happened if I never came to work for Pied Piper, and stayed with Hooli."

Richard wasn't expecting that answer, and became defensive.

"Wow Jared, that's great. I mean not only am I screwing up my life, I go and screw my friends lives too..."

He felt himself getting nauseous, he didn't mean to lash out at Jared, but it was true. He had dug a grave for the company and all of them were going to lie in it. Before Richard got sick from nerves, Jared interupted with,

"No, you misunderstand. I was going to say, in all honesty, I wouldn't have changed my decison to come here. Meeting you has been a great thing in my life, and the passion you bring to this company is something I sometimes cannot comprehend... You are an amazing person, down to your perserverance and your technical skills. Working here left me more emotionally fufilled than I ever felt at Hooli, and that is thanks to you."

Despite his response sounding a bit like an afterschool special, Richard felt and appreciated the sincerity of Jareds words. It left him speechless, he never really thought that he had made that big an impact on Jared.

"Um, thank you. That really is, uh, that really means a lot. Thank you."

Richard felt his face get hotter and was thankful that the lights were off and their faces were only illuminated slightly by the moon.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry if I overstepped by bounds, sometimes the line between professionalism and friendship can be a thin one especially in this environment."

"No no, you're, you're fine. It's fine. I appreciate it."

He smiled, his self esteem was never that high and whenever somebody complimented him it made him happy and kind of apprehensive. But in a good way, an excited way.

"If this is really the end of my time in Pied Piper, um, do you think we'd still be able to like talk and everything?"

Richard asked. He didn't want to lose Jared as a friend, even if his company no longer needed him, it was sad to imagine Jared not needing him.

"Of course, Richard."

Richard then said goodnight and thanked Jared one more time for talking with him, and Jared continued to read. Closing his eyes, Richard tried to imagine a life without all the stress of Pied Piper. He heard Jared turn off his light and place his book on the floor beside him. Richard could barely make out the title, but it was something by Hemingway. He fell asleep soon after.


End file.
